School-desk



(No Model.)

A. M. BREADIN.

SGHOOL DESK.

No. 400,738. Patent ed, Apr. 21889..

v vZmza/M.Brmdo '71,

NITED STATES PATENT- FFICE SCHOOL-DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,738, dated April 2,1889.

Application filed December 14:, 1888. Serial No. 293,553. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANNA M. BREADIN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in School-Desks, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to so construct a school-desk as toprevent or lessen to a great extent the noise caused by the slamming ofslates or books upon the desks, or the,

dropping of the slates into the slate-wells with which schooldesks areusually provided, a further object being to so construct the slate-wellthat itis always open to inspection, and can be readily kept clean.These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in whicha Figures 1 and 2 areperspective views in different positions of a school-desk constructed inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of part ofthe desk. Fig. 4 is alongitudinal section of the top of the desk; andFig. 5 is a transverse section through th slate-well.

The top of the desk consists of an outer portion or narrow frame, a,inclosing and retaining a central panel, I), covered with sheetrubber d,the latter passing down over the sides and ends of the panel, and beingconfined between. the same and the outer frame, a, of the top of thedesk, so that when the panel and its rubber cover are in place no edgesof said cover are exposed, and the cover cannot, therefore, be torn orloosened by mischievous scholars, as would be likely if the edges of thecovering were exposed. The rubber covering d projects above the surfaceof the outer confining-frame a, so as to prevent contact with said frameof obj eets deposit-ed upon the top of the desk.

At the front of the desk a slate well or receptacle, f, the bottom ofwhich is likewise clothed with rubber, as at g, so that the noise whichusually accompanies the throwing of books or slates down on an ordinarydesk, or the chopping of the slates into the slate-wells, is effectuallyprevei'it-ed and the desk is rendered practically noiseless. The rubbercovering of the desk, moreover, can be readily washed and kept clean,and it affords such a firm frictional l.0ltl for a slate that the latteris not liable to slip and slide about over the surface of the desk underthe hands of a restless or nervous scholar.

The inner portion of the casing of the slatewellthat is to say, theportion accessible to the occupant-of the dcsk-is preferably closed, asshown in Figs. 2 and 3, the front of the desk having an opening in frontof the well, and this opening being crossed by slats 71., so that whilethe occupant of the desk cannot gain access to the lower portion of theslatewell, for the purpose of hiding or depositing objects therein, theinterior of the slate-well is accessible at all times for cleansingpurposes, and is open to the inspection of ateacher passing along anaisle between the rows of desks.

' The slate-well has near one end a partition, i, which serves to format the end of the well a pocket, on, for the reception of a ruler, andthe top of the desk has at one side an opening for an ink-well, n, andat the opposite side an opening for the reception of a spongecup, p.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent 1. The combination, in a school-desk top, of the outerborder or frame, the panel within the same, and the rubber coveringhaving a surface higher than the surface of the frame and having itsedges confined between the panel and said frame, all substantially asspecified.

2. A school-desk having a slate-well with closed internal casing, and anopen front with cross-slats forming the front of the well, sulstant-iallv as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANNA M. BREADIN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM D. CONNER, HARRY SMITH.

